binnovel Chapter 244 Flowers Bloom in the South of the City, Time to Return 15
Chapter 244 Flowers Bloom in the South of the City, Time to Return 15
"Ouch—" Shen Shuwan lifted the bangs covering her face and touched the corner of her eye in pain in front of the mirror.
What a disaster.
Just now, a guy lost several rounds in a row. Because he had boasted earlier, he lost face in front of his companions. In a fit of anger, he insisted that the other party had cheated.
The person being criticized also had a short temper, and the two started fighting after exchanging only a few words.
Shen Shuwan happened to be selling cigarettes at this table. She was accidentally injured before she could get out of the way when the incident occurred.
Fortunately, it was just a bruise around his eye; his eye itself was fine.
Otherwise, what she earns on the second floor this month might not even be enough for her to buy a single dose of medicine at the pharmacy.
Shen Shuwan looked in the mirror and sighed. Just as she was about to let her bangs down, Cai Die came running in, panting.
"Xiao Wan, how are you?"
Cai Die was selling cigarettes at another location when the incident occurred. She was several tables away and her view was blocked by other onlookers. She vaguely saw Shen Shuwan covering her eyes and hurriedly leaving. Feeling a little worried, she followed after her.
Shen Shuwan hurriedly let down her bangs, covering most of her face, and asked, "Sister Caidie, what brings you here?"
"I heard you were beaten up, so I came to see if I could help."
Cai Die recalled the fleeting glimpse of Shen Shuwan's appearance in the mirror earlier, and while she was amazed, a touch of jealousy inevitably arose within her. "I never imagined you were so strikingly beautiful..."
I thought Shen Shuwan was ugly and that's why she had to cover her face.
Actually, even if you cover it up, it doesn't make much difference; the long bangs make you look disheveled.
They usually walked together, and with her as a contrast, even her own pretty face seemed more attractive.
Because of this secret sense of pride, he was also willing to take extra care of her.
Who would have thought that such an outstanding face would be hidden beneath those bangs? She looked even more charming than Ruyan, the star of the Paramount Ballroom, making her previous little schemes seem utterly ridiculous.
Shen Shuwan noticed the change in Cai Die's expression and quickly took her arm, saying:
"I'm sorry, Sister Caidie, I didn't mean to hide it from you. It's just that I was kidnapped before, and I'm really scared."
"So, you were abducted here by human traffickers? No wonder your accent sounded a bit strange." Cai Die's attention was diverted, and the coldness in her eyes disappeared, replaced by sympathy.
Although I wasn't abducted here, it was pretty much the same. Shen Shuwan nodded and said, "Yeah, if I hadn't been lucky enough to escape, I don't know what would have happened to me. I was planning to take a boat back, but I encountered the sea ban."
"I don't know when this will end. All I want now is to save enough money to go home," Shen Shuwan sighed.
Cai Die held her hand and comforted her, "Don't worry, I've heard several guests talk about it these past few days. They say it'll be done soon, just wait a little longer."
"Okay." Seeing that she was no longer paying attention to her appearance, Shen Shuwan said, "Then let's go back. We haven't sold many cigarettes yet. Are they still selling them?"
"I'm not fighting anymore. I was already stopped when I came to find you."
Butterfly frowned. "You're really unlucky. Next time you see something's wrong, you'd better be more alert and stay away from it."
"Okay, next time I'll definitely run away as fast as I can," Shen Shuwan said mischievously.
However, after thinking about it, she wrinkled her nose and changed her mind, saying, "Forget it, let's not do it again."
"Hahaha."
……
"Mr. Qian, what are your orders?"
Manager Xu entered the room and respectfully greeted Master Qian, who was sitting on the sofa smoking.
Mr. Qian exhaled a puff of smoke but did not speak.
One of his bodyguards chimed in, "Our boss heard that you have a woman named Ruyan here with a great figure and a beautiful voice. Bring her up here, and name your price."
"This..." Manager Xu's smile froze. "Master Qian, you're making things difficult for me. Our singers and dancers here have always only performed for a living."
“What do you mean just performing? Didn’t Li Si, one of our master’s men, bring one back the other day? Do you think our master is easy to fool?” said the subordinate standing to Master Qian’s right.
Manager Xu said with a forced smile, "How could that be? I wouldn't dare. But that's how it is here. Even if it's our boss, Master Huo, he's treated the same way."
"As for the one that Master Li took away," Manager Xu still remembered her somewhat, "she was a girl who sold cigarettes here. She wasn't considered one of our Paramount employees."
"Hmph, that brat from the Huo family got my nephew arrested the other day. What, all I wanted was a singer? Did he want to get me arrested too?"
Mr. Qian sneered and threw away the cigarette he had only smoked halfway through.
Manager Xu then understood why this had happened today.
However, since they've already put in this much effort, instead of thinking about how to get their nephew out, they've come to their small dance hall and are making things difficult for the manager.
And then there's Ruyan. I told her long ago not to focus her attention on Master Huo, but she wouldn't listen and publicly expressed her love for him multiple times.
Now everyone knows that Ruyan, the star performer at the Paramount Ballroom, is in love with Master Huo.
It's probably because of this that Master Qian wanted to take Ruyan away, in order to embarrass Master Huo.
In his opinion, what kind of hero takes out his anger on a woman?
However, he could only say these words to himself.
Manager Xu wiped the fine sweat from his forehead, feeling somewhat uneasy.
Seeing his panic, Master Qian felt that he had regained some of the face he had lost with Huo Jingchao, and continued, "I just came here to have some fun today. If you don't bring your men up, they're not to be trifled with."
Upon hearing this, the men surrounding him glared menacingly at Manager Xu.
Manager Xu smiled obsequiously, inwardly cursing at the situation, but outwardly he still had to be respectful:
"How about this, I'll have Ruyan come up and sing you a couple of songs, and then I'll have some people come up and play cards with you. I'm not bragging, but if our Paramount's card games are second to none in Hong Kong, no one dares to be number one. I guarantee you'll be satisfied."
Mr. Qian: "Call the person up first, then we'll talk. Hurry up, my patience is limited."
Manager Xu had no choice but to say, "Alright, I'll go get someone first. Please wait a moment, Mr. Qian."
Once the door closed, completely cutting off the sound, Manager Xu's smile vanished, and he went downstairs with a cold expression.
"Brother Xu, what's wrong?" Manager Liu asked, leaning closer.
"The Third Young Master's maternal uncle has come to cause trouble. Go and inform Master Huo first. I'll ask Ruyan to go up and sing a couple of lines to stall for time." Manager Xu was quite troubled.
"it is good."
After giving instructions, Manager Liu suddenly slapped his forehead and caught up with Manager Xu, who was rushing downstairs, saying, "Oh dear, Brother Xu, Ruyan isn't feeling well today and has taken the day off to see a doctor. She shouldn't be back yet."
Manager Xu was furious: "It's like everything's happening at once. Who else is there who has a similar build and voice? We could have her wear a veil to cover her face, but we don't know if that would work. If we're exposed, we'll be the ones who suffer."
Manager Liu followed him for a few steps, then a thought struck him: "Brother, since that's the case, why don't we just find a cigarette seller? If we get caught, we can just say they're trying to climb the social ladder, and it won't have anything to do with us."
Manager Xu stopped his hurried pace: "Good lad, you're quick-witted, but it's not easy to find someone with a figure and voice like Ru Yan."
Manager Liu smirked: "I do have someone in mind."